The Genius of Insanity
by Shadowdemon321
Summary: Gilbert and Elizabeta finally get a child. But this little girl may be more than they can handle. Bad summary, PruHun with hints of USUK, GerIta, and other pairings. Rated T for language mostly.
1. Chapter 1

Hello again! Finally, I've begun typing my PruHun fanfiction. Not sure if it should be rated T or M yet, but I'm leaning more towards T. Tell me what you think after reading the first chapter or so. Human names are used.

I don't know how long the chapters are going to be, because I wrote the first couple in a notebook at school. So if they're short, don't worry, they won't all be like that.

And, for the first part of this chapter, until the first break, I wasn't sure how these kinds of things went, so if it's not accurate, please don't get mad. I've never seen something like this before. It's necessary for the story, though. Also, I'm ignoring technicalities, and keeping them as nations :).

I don't own Hetalia, because they're worried what I would do if I did ^.^.

. .

"_We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us." -E.M. Forester_

. .

A pained shriek tore through the air of the sterile white room. The woman whose throat it came from writhed in agony, gritting her teeth. The albine man by her side tried desperately to soothe her.

"Shh, Lizzy, it's okay, it's almost done," he murmured. She glared at him.

"Yeah? Well, _Gilbert_, you try giving birth, and then tell me it's fucking okay!" she growled. And then she slumped back, her emerald eyes fluttering shut. Gilbert looked expectantly at the doctor, who looked troubled. In his arms was a tiny, motionless bundle of shriveled skin and bones. No umbilical cord protruded from its stomach.

The doctor caught Gilbert's eye, and sadly shook his head. He checked that the nurses knew what to do, and carried the thing that was supposed to be a baby, but wasn't, out of the room. His wife stirred beside him.

"Gil?" she asked tiredly. "Where's the baby?"

He swallowed, hard, and sat in a chair beside her. Gently, he took her slender hand in his.

"Elizabeta – Liz, um…it…didn't…make it," he managed to say, fighting back tears. She just stared blankly at him.

"Wh-what?" she stammered softly. "What do you mean, Gil?"

He gripped her hand tighter. "It's dead, Liz."

Her eyes widened. "No…" she whispered, then burst into tears. He silently held her, willing himself not to cry until he was alone, or she was asleep. When she calmed slightly he asked one of the nurses to bring in their waiting friends, and Gilbert's brother.

Francis and Antonio, who was dragging Lovino behind him, were the first two in. They entered with huge smiles on their faces, which quickly vanished once they saw the couple's distress. The same went for Lovino's brother, Feliciano. Gilbert waited for his younger brother Ludwig and Elizabeta's friend Roderich to enter before he said anything. But Feli beat him to it.

"Ve – where's the baby? I wanna hold her! Or him, if it's a little boy," the Italian announced cheerfully. Gilbert stared at a scuff on the tile floor.

"The baby was born dead," he told them. Nothing but silence followed. Elizabeta, drained physically and mentally, fell asleep. Then Gilbert felt a strong arm go around him. He glanced up to see Ludwig, watching him with sympathetic blue eyes, and lost it. Childishly, he turned his face into his brother's chest, and let the sobs wrack his body, clutching the blonde's shirt. Ludwig let him cry, not saying a word. When he gained some semblance of control he let go, wiping roughly at his eyes.

"Maybe it's my fault," he whispered.

"How could it possibly be, _mon ami?_" Francis asked.

"Because I'm not a nation anymore, and she is." was his response.

"_Amigo_, that's ridiculous," Toni said in a slightly scolding voice. "Besides, didn't you say it was a miracle she even got pregnant?"

Gilbert didn't say anything. A gruff voice spoke up.

"You can adopt, if you really want a kid."

Surprised, Gilbert looked up at the speaker. Lovino was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. His usual scowl was nowhere to be found.

"I suppose…" the albino agreed. "Why do you care, though?"

"You may be the potato bastard's brother, but even I know now's not the time to be, well, a bastard." Lovino returned evenly. Gilbert blinked, then grinned cheerlessly. The bad-tempered Italian just looked away.

They visited for a little while longer before leaving Gilbert and Elizabeta alone. The albino decided to bring up the adoption thing tomorrow.

. .

Elizabeta stayed in the hospital for what seemed like years, but was only a few days. She'd been thinking non-stop about what Gilbert had suggested about adoption, and had come to a pretty confident decision. After he'd helped her into the car to go home, she breached the sunject.

"I think we should give it a shot," she announced. He glanced at her, his ruby eyes filling with confusion. She smiled slightly. "Adoption, I mean."

"Oh." He looked back at the road. "Are you sure? I mean, we can try again…"

Noting his lack of the word "awesome", she shook her head. "I don't want to risk that happening again." She didn't even want to think about feeling that crushing grief again.

"Alright then." He nodded once. "I was looking into it, and I found an orphanage close to our house. We can go when you're feeling up to it."

"I want to go tomorrow," she immediately replied. He actually grinned.

"That's awesome!" There it is. At least he was feeling better.

. .

And that concludes chapter 1! Hope it was interesting enough. Review!


	2. Chapter 2

Yes, the awesome me is back! Yep, I just went all Prussia on you! :).

Anyway, here is chapter 2! Just as warning, I am not sure how orphanages work, just like I wasn't sure about the whole giving birth thing, so if I get it wrong, bear with me. And there is implied USUK in this chapter, as well.

One more thing. This is not a Slenderman fanfiction, but there are mentions of him throughout the chapter and possibly the rest of the story. It is not mainly about him, though.

I don't own Hetalia, but I do own any OC's.

. .

"_The public is wonderfully tolerant. It forgives everything except genius." _

― _Oscar Wilde_

. .

The next day they got into the car and drove the short distance to the orphanage. It was an odd, four-story building with many windows and gargoyles. A few kids were playing outside, but Gilbert supposed the majority of them were inside.

As soon as they stepped inside, a short, round lady approached them with a beaming smile. She held out her hand.

"Welcome!" she beamed. "I'm Janet, the – oh, I suppose you could call it a housekeeper."

They each shook her hand, and she cheerfully continued. "You two can look around, talk to the kids, see with one or ones you connect with. If you decide to adopt just come find me!"

Elizabeta thanked her and grabbed Gilbert's hand, pulling him towards a room that seemed to contain only kids five years old or younger. She tugged his hand, leading him over to a little boy playing with toy cars.

They sat with a few kids, playing and talking, but none of them had what he called "the sense of awesome". While Elizabeta was sitting with a girl of about six, he happened to look towards the window, near the corner of the room. Sitting beneath it was a blonde girl of maybe four. She was all alone, drawing or writing something on a piece of paper with a purple marker. More markers lay nearby. Gilbert nudged his wife.

"What about her?" he asked, his curiosity piqued. The little girl they were sitting with cut in.

"That girl is weird," she told them matter-of-factly. "She always sits by herself. If you talk to her she tells scary stories."

"Well, I wanna go by her," Gilbert announced, standing up and offering his hand to Elizabeta. She said goodbye to the little girl and stood up, following the albino.

When they sat down by the blonde girl she looked up in surprise. Her eyes were wide and impossibly blue. He couldn't help but think she looked like she could be Alfred and Arthur's kid. She blinked.

"Are you a demon?" she immediately asked. Elizabeta laughed, but it took him a minute to remember he _did_ have red eyes. He smiled.

"No, just albino," he answered, amused. "Do you know what that is?"

She nodded. "Yeah. It'd be cool if you were a demon, though. What's your names?"

"I'm Elizabeta, and this is my husband Gilbert," his wife introduced. "How about you?"

"I'm Cassidy," she answered. "Why are you over here?"

The question caught them off guard. Elizabeta recovered first. "Why would you ask that?"

"Well, didn't they tell you I'm weird?" Cassidy didn't seem terribly upset by this, but she wasn't happy, either. Gilbert was already confused by her. it just proved the female species were brain ninjas.

"They did," Elizabeta admitted. "But we didn't want to just believe them without talking to you first."

As Cassidy considered this, Gilbert noticed a small stack of papers nearby. The top one was face down, but some ink had seeped through from the other side. He reached over and grabbed the papers, flipping through them. Cassidy gave a small noise of protest, but he ignored it for now.

Some of the papers were filled with words – usually two or three in a row – and others were pictures. The rest were a mixture of both.

The first one he saw was a picture. It was what appeared to be a forest, but the shapes were faint, making it look foggy. As he scanned the picture a figure near the edge caught his eye. A freakishly tall, thin…thing, with a white orb as a head and what looked like tentacles coming from its back. Gilbert recognized it immediately.

"_Der Grossmann_," he murmured.

"Have you seen him, too?" Cassidy unexpectedly asked. Gilbert blinked, then shook his head.

"No, but I'm from Germany. That's where the myth came from*," he told her. Well, it wasn't a lie, anyway. How could he tell her he was _part_ of the country it came from?

"It's not a myth. I've seen him." Her eyes were wide and honest as she told them this. "I never heard of him before I saw him. Nobody believes me."

Elizabeta gave him a slightly confused look, then looked back at Cassidy. "You know what _'Der Grossmann'_ means?"

"Yep. I learned German last year. I'm learning Spanish now."

"So you must be really smart, then."

"Yeah, I guess," she agreed. "But everyone thinks I'm weird 'cause of it. I guess I'm not supposed to be this smart."

"Well, don't listen to them," Elizabeta told her, smiling. "They're just jealous because they're not that smart."

Cassidy smiled back, and began writing with her marker again.

Gilbert liked her. She had "the sense of awesome". And when he got his wife alone, he told her so. She frowned a bit.

"Are you sure, Gilbert?" she asked.

"Absolutely. She's a cool kid." _And awesome_, he mentally added.

. .

*Just as a reference, the Slenderman myth did originate in Germany, not on some forum in the US.

Review and tell me what you think so far!


	3. Chapter 3

New chapter! I was slightly tempted to base each chapter off a song, but I've been on a musical adventure (my iPod is on shuffle) and don't feel like listening to only one song. Instead, I am putting a quote on each chapter, because I like how that looks. They may have something to do with the chapter, and they may not. But, whatever :).

A warning before you read this chapter: it may not seem the best written, but that is because some of the countries are introduced, and since they have two names…it was kind of hard to write coherently. The other chapters hopefully won't be like that. Please don't give up on me just because one chapter sucks.

Still don't own Hetalia.

. .

"_I am so clever that sometimes I don't understand a single word of _

_what I am saying." _

_-Oscar Wilde_

. .

Gilbert stayed with Cassidy – partly because he liked her, partly because he didn't want another couple to come and "steal her away" – while Elizabeta went to find Janet. As he spoke with her, he realized the extent to which he would never be able to ever understand her. She was smarter than anyone he'd ever met – and she was only four years old. It was…confusing. She refused to speak of her old home, though.

Elizabeta returned, with Janet trailing behind her. The shorter woman seemed confused, and slightly frantic. As they drew closer, Gilbert could hear what Janet was saying.

"…certain? I mean, I'd hate to see a couple return a child, but I'm not sure she is compatible with any home. She is very antisocial and, frankly, very strange."

Elizabeta sighed, annoyed. Gilbert could see it was a good thing there wasn't a frying pan in the vicinity. "Yes, ma'am, we're certain we want her. Don't worry, she will be very happy with us."

Janet relented, and didn't say anything more except to instruct the couple to sign some papers and the like. It went much faster than Gilbert had expected, but he wasn't complaining. As they did this Cassidy gathered up the papers and ran out to pack her things. She seemed excited.

Janet told them they could either take Cassidy with them now, or wait a few days and then come get her.

"That would be silly," his wife said, smiling. "We live so close, we may as well bring her home now."

They patiently waited for their new daughter to return, and Gilbert grabbed her small suitcase when she did. As they were walking out, Cassidy didn't look back, nor did she say goodbye to anyone. At least there were no tears.

. .

As soon as they reached their house Cassidy dashed inside, brimming with excitement. By the time Elizabeta and Gilbert were inside she'd already been in and out of half the rooms, and was currently inspecting the kitchen. When they entered she looked up and grinned at them.

"This house is huge!" she said, stretching out her arms for emphasis. She couldn't remember being this excited for anything. But she was happy someone had finally picked her, not some bratty girl or sports-obsessed boy. They picked her, even though everyone had warned them away. She vowed to _never_ let them down, because she never wanted to go back to the orphanage. It was no fun there, and everyone hated her.

Elizabeta laughed, and Gilbert crouched down so he was eye level with her. "So, you like it here, huh? It is pretty awesome."

She was quickly learning that Gilbert loved the word "awesome", especially if it had anything to do with him or his wife. She hoped that didn't rub off on her; it didn't sound very intelligent.

"Hey, Gilbert, the world meeting is tomorrow. Do you think we should bring her?" Elizabeta asked. World meeting?

He immediately nodded. "Well, of course! Everyone else will be dying to meet her."

"But how will we explain it?"

Cassidy sighed. "You know I'm still here."

Gilbert laughed. "_Yeah,_ Liz, she's still there!"

Elizabeta narrowed her eyes, and moved towards the counter, where a frying pan was sitting. Gilbert quickly stood up and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind. "Hey, now, there's no need for that, I'm sorry, I was just kidding."

_She was going to hit him!_ Cassidy realized, and couldn't help the little giggle that escaped her. They both turned to look at her. Then Elizabeta sighed and walked towards her.

"Cassidy, come here, there's something we need to tell you." She led the way into the living room – which Cassidy had already explored, and was kind of bored of already. She sat down on the couch, and motioned for Cassidy to sit next to her. When she did her new mother began to speak.

"Listen, tomorrow we're all going to a world meeting. I know you don't know what that is, but I need to explain something else before I tell you what it is. Me and Gilbert, we're…not normal people. You see, we're actually, um, nations. I'm Hungary, and Gilbert is Prussia."

Cassidy took a moment to digest this new information. "That's impossible." she stated. "First, nations aren't people. They're chunks of land. Second, Prussia isn't even a nation anymore."

Gilbert cut in now. "We're not the actual country, Cassidy. We're just…ah, Liz, what's the word? Starts with a _p_…person…"

"Personification?"

"Yes!" He pointed at her and grinned. "That's it! We're personifications of the nations. And nobody really knows why I'm still here. I used to live with my brother Ludwig – ah, Germany, after my country was dissolved, but after me and Liz got married we got our own house."

Cassidy's first thought was: _They're crazy!_ Soon after: _Their grammar is horrible._

. .

The couple anxiously waited for some sort of reaction. Cassidy was just sitting there and thinking. They knew they should have considered this before adopting, but she was here now and they just had to go with it.

Finally, their new daughter looked up. And, of course, the first thing out of her mouth was definitely not what they expected. "So, Gilbert, you're actually part of the country Slenderman is from?"

_What…?_ Elizabeta just sat there while Gilbert burst out laughing. "_Ja_, I suppose that's true. You can meet the other part tomorrow."

Cassidy smiled again. "Will Italy and America and England and Japan and Russia and France and Spain be there, too?"

Elizabeta answered this time. "Yes to all except Italy. North Italy – ah, Feliciano will, but I'm not sure about South Italy."

"What's South Italy's name?"

"Lovino. You can call him Romano, too, either is fine."

Cassidy fell silent again. Then: "Why wouldn't he be there? Wouldn't he want to be with his brother? Feliciano is his brother, right?"

"_Ja_, he is, but he's not as friendly as Feli is. Plus, he doesn't really like Francis…er, France." They really needed to teach her all the nations' names. This was already getting confusing. Gilbert's brain hurt.

"Oh. Well, I hope he comes. I'd love to meet him, too."

_She is a good kid,_ Elizabeta thought, and smiled.

. .

I know it's taking forever, but she will meet the other nations, probably in the next chapter. Don't stop reading because it's slow!

Anyway, review and tell me what you think so far!

Auf wiedersehen!


	4. Chapter 4

WARNING! Many pairings in this chapter. This is my chance to ship every frickin' pairing I like, and I will do it! *strikes pose*.

Also, it's kind of hectic, and not very good in my opinion. It will get better, I promise!

Do I really need a disclaimer by this point?

. .

"_Genius is nothing more nor less than childhood recaptured at will." _

_- Charles Baudelaire_

. .

The day of the world meeting, Elizabeta and Gilbert were still debating whether or not they should bring Cassidy. Well, Elizabeta was. Gilbert was all for it, but she knew it was just so he could introduce her to Francis and Toni. She finally just gave in, because where else would Cassidy go, anyway?

Gilbert was the only one to sleep in, so the girls were ready to go by the time he woke up. Grumbling about impatient women, he took a quick shower and took his time getting dressed. After he'd eaten breakfast (Elizabeta argued it was really lunch, but who cares?) they had to leave right away. They'd for some reason decided to drive four hours to get there.

The whole ride Cassidy didn't make a sound, simply writing/drawing on a pad of paper they'd found for her. She had her own box of markers, too. Not that they were complaining, but it was strange for a four-year-old to be totally silent in a four hour car ride.

When they finally arrived, however, she immediately put her marker back in the box, grabbed that and her paper, and jumped out of the car, dashing to the door of the building they were meeting at. She stood there, impatiently bouncing as she waited for them to get there. Gilbert chuckled a little. _Guess she's excited._

She seemed to calm slightly when they were inside, but she still radiated excitement; she gripped Elizabeta's hand tightly, her blue eyes were wide and shining, and there was a tiny smile on her lips. However, as soon as they reached the room the nations were gathering in, she froze, clutching Elizabeta's dress with one hand and her coloring supplies with the other. Nervousness and shyness overcame her excitement.

Not all the nations were present, but the ones that were noticed them immediately. Francis and Toni were among them, and they were the first ones to greet them. They run-walked forward, and Toni knelt down by Cassidy.

"_Hola, niña,_" he greeted cheerfully. She scooted a bit closer to Elizabeta, but her eyes remained on the Spaniard in front of her. "What's your name?"

She looked up at her adoptive parents quizzically, and Gilbert smiled at her, giving her a small nod. She looked back at Toni shyly. "I'm Cassidy," she said quietly. He grinned.

"_Amigo_, is this your new daughter?" he asked Gilbert, whose smile widened into a grin.

"_Ja_, she is."

"_Ohonhon,_" Francis chuckled. "Isn't she a cute one?"

"Ve – Gilbert got a new daughter?" Feli bounced over. When he saw Cassidy he smiled widely. "Oh, she is cute! Gilbert, you should have brought her over to mine and Luddy's house! We would have loved to meet her! Where did you get her? When, too?"

"Feli, don't crowd them," Ludwig's stern voice carried over the small Italian's. He appeared, but didn't come very close. He seemed almost wary of the little girl holding his sister-in-law's hand.

And then the other nations were crowding around to see the new addition, Alfred's voice easily heard over the rest, especially when Arthur hit him for being too loud. Cassidy, overwhelmed, let out a small noise and hid her face in Elizabeta's dress. The Hungarian woman knelt and picked her up, resting her hand on the back of the girl's head.

"Everyone, stop it! You're scaring her." And, whether it was because they didn't want to scare Cassidy, or because they were afraid of Elizabeta, they stopped and backed up. The only three that hadn't come forward were Roderich, who was too "sophisticated" (Gilbert called it stuck up), Matthew, who didn't feel like being shoved around in a crowd, and Lovino, who hadn't even planned on coming, but his brother had dragged him along. He wasn't even looking over; instead, he sat with his arms crossed, slouched down in his chair.

When it had finally quieted down, Elizabeta spoke again. "For everyone who asked, yes, this is our new daughter. Everyone, meet Cassidy. Cassidy, these are our friends."

Cassidy peeked out from where she was hiding her face in Elizabeta's neck. "Are they nations, too?"

Nobody moved. Roderich, from his seat at the long table, sighed somewhat dramatically. "Of course, you had to tell her you were nations."

"What would you suggest we do otherwise, Roddy?" Gilbert asked sarcastically. His wife smacked his shoulder.

"I wasn't criticizing you," The Austrian said disdainfully. Gilbert rolled his eyes.

"I'm sure you weren't."

"Both of you, stop it!" Elizabeta snapped. "Now is not the time to bicker."

Feliciano decided now was a good time to approach Cassidy again. He smiled at her. "Ve – hello! I'm Feliciano! But you can call me Feli!"

Cassidy actually smiled a bit at him. "Italy, right?"

"Yes!" He giggled. "They told you about me?"

"Yeah." She glanced around. "Is your brother here? I wanted to meet him, too."

Lovino looked up in surprise, but quickly replaced that with a scowl. Feli waved frantically, gesturing for him to come over. Reluctantly, he heaved a sigh and dragged himself out of the chair, approaching slowly. Cassidy's smile grew, and she giggled a bit. "You two look a lot alike."

Lovino simply scowled more, and grumbled something under his breath. Cassidy wasn't put off. "So you're Lovino? They told me about you, too."

"Whatever," he mumbled, glaring at the floor. But anyone who looked close enough could see that he was a bit pleased. Cassidy looked back at Elizabeta.

"Can you put me down, now? I'm okay." Elizabeta set her down, and she stepped forward, so Lovino was looking at her. "So, you're the other part of Italy…do you know how to draw?"

He narrowed his eyes. "No, why the hell would I? North Italy is better at that stuff. Ask my _fratellino_."

He stormed back to his chair, and Cassidy frowned. "I didn't mean…"

"Oh, don't mind him." Arthur reassured her. "He's just a grumpy git. I'm Arthur, by the way."

"What nation are you?" Cassidy asked, glancing occasionally at Lovino.

"I'm England. I – "

"And _I'm_ America!" Alfred interrupted. "Alfred F. Jones, hero at your service!"

"You interrupted Arthur." Cassidy scolded. Alfred just laughed.

"Ah, he's used to it. Arent'cha, Artie?"

Arthur huffed. "I shouldn't be, you bloody wanker."

"_Ohonhon_," Francis laughed behind her. She turned quickly to find the source of that strange laugh. "_Angleterre_ and _Amerique_ at it again. It's a wonder they're still together."

He caught Cassidy's stare, and grinned, crouching down with a flourish. "Why, _bonjour mon petit._ You must be wondering who I am." He didn't wait for her to respond. "My name is Francis. I am the country of romance, France!"

"She doesn't look too impressed, _Amigo_," Toni teased. When she looked at him he shrugged a bit, an everlasting smile on his face. "He gets like that. I'm Antonio, by the way, but you can call me Toni. I'm Spain! And Lovi's boyfriend."

"You are not!" Lovino yelled, outraged. Toni practically danced towards the irritated Italian.

"Oh, my dear Lovi, don't try to hide our love!" he cried, still smiling. Lovino pushed him away.

Cassidy was beyond confused. Instead of trying to figure that out – maybe she would later – she turned to the tall blonde with icy blue eyes that was standing next to Gilbert. "And who are you?"

He looked down at her, his arms crossed. She supposed he was probably intimidating to others, but she wasn't very scared. "_Ich bin Ludwig_," he told her. "My country is Germany."

Her smile returned. "So you're Gilbert's brother?"

He nodded once. "_Ja_, that is correct."

Gilbert laughed. "_Bruder_, why so stiff? C'mon, loosen up a bit!"

Cassidy briefly wondered if it was normal to have such bad grammar with nations, but quickly got rid of the thought, and turned towards the table, where many of the nations now sat. Among them were the man Gilbert had been arguing with, and a blonde man that looked a lot like Alfred, except his hair was a bit longer and his eyes were violet instead of Alfred's blue. And he was holding a white bear cub. Because she found the animal very cute, she approached him while Gilbert spoke with his brother. When she stopped next to his chair he smiled down at her.

"Hello," he greeted her in a quiet voice. She grinned.

"You look like Alfred. Are you related to him?"

He seemed surprised. "You didn't think I was Alfred?"

She frowned, her eyebrows furrowing. "That's silly, why would I? You don't look _exactly_ like him. And he doesn't have a bear."

"Oh." His gentle smile returned. "Yes, I am related to him. I'm Matthew, or Canada, if you want to call me that. And this is Kumajiro. I just call him Kuma, though."

"Who are you?" the bear suddenly said. Cassidy jumped, her eyes widening.

"The bear just talked," she said, amazed. He laughed softly. It seemed everything about him was quiet and soft.

"Yes, he does that." His violet eyes studied her. "You know, you look a lot like my brother. It's kind of funny that you're Gil's daughter."

The man who had been arguing with Gilbert spoke from across the table. "Dear, who are you talking to?"

She looked at him like he was stupid. "Matthew…? He's right here!"

His eyes glanced over Matthew's chair, and back to her. "Alright, then. So, you are Elizabeta's daughter, are you? What did they say your name is?"

"Cassidy," she answered slowly, still confused. He didn't see Matthew? "And you are…?"

"Austria. My human name is Roderich." His response was curt, and she quickly stopped the conversation, saying goodbye to Matthew and going back by Gilbert and Elizabeta. She didn't especially like Roderich.

Gilbert, who had seen the whole thing, laughed and bent to scoop her up. "Yeah, he's a stick in the mud, huh?"

She nodded. "Why didn't he see Matthew?"

Gilbert shrugged, shifting her in his arms. "Not sure. Not many of the nations do. I do, though. Matthew is my friend. He makes the best pancakes _ever_!"

She giggled, and scanned the room. Maybe she'd fit in here. There were more than enough different personalities, and she'd already begun making friends with Matthew. Maybe she'd be happy in her new home, with all these people – nations.

. .

Chapter 4 end! I know I haven't included all of the countries, nor all of the pairings I ship, but I wanted to cut the chapter off there. Maybe she will meet them in a different chapter. If you couldn't tell, because I didn't do a very good job at hinting it, I included GerIta, Spamano, and USUK in this one. It was so hard not including PruCan, but since this is a PruHun fic, I couldn't.

Review and tell me what you thought!

Translations:

Spanish:

_Hola, niña- _"Hello, little girl"

_Amigo-_ "Friend"

Italian:

_Fratellino_- "Little brother"

French:

_Angleterre and Amerique_- French for "England and America"

_bonjour mon petit-_ French for "Hello, little one"

German:

_Ich bin Ludwig_- German for "I am Ludwig"

_Bruder_- German for "Brother"

_Ja_- German for "Yes"


	5. Chapter 5

Finally, I'm writing this again. *sigh* I never thought it'd be this hard to keep on track with a story. And that's not even including all my other stories that I started and published, but still haven't finished…

Anyway, finally, here is chapter 5! I am not sure what happened with this, but I really wanted to type something, and it turned into a filler. It's not terribly exciting, but I know what I want to happen in the future. I just need to get there…I'm sorry DX.

I'm so sorry I haven't updated sooner! I've had a lot of things with school…which is out now, so hopefully I will be updating more!

If it's any consolation, the Nordics and Russia are introduced in this chapter.

I don't own Hetalia.

. .

"_Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea." _

_- Robert A. Heinlein_

. .

During the meeting, Cassidy sat on Gilbert's lap, drawing a picture. As he watched, fascinated, a cat began to appear. Because he wasn't a nation, he never had to speak up, and could just watch his daughter draw. When Ludwig called a break she set the pencil she'd been using down. Before either of them could move, a rather large man approached them.

"_Privyet_," he greeted. Gilbert narrowed his eyes.

"What do you want, Ivan?"

"I just wanted to meet your daughter." His violet eyes were wide and innocent, and he was smiling. Cassidy craned her head so she could see him.

"What country are you?" she asked eagerly; she hadn't met even half of the nations yet.

"I am Russia." He answered simply. His smile never waned, though. Cassidy grinned. What she said next really shouldn't have surprised Gilbert, but he was beginning to realize everything would be a surprise with her.

"I heard a song once that said Russians drink vodka for breakfast. Is that true?"

Gilbert tried not to laugh, he really did. But it was so hard not to. And when he did, Ivan glanced at him, and he immediately shut up, biting his tongue to try and stop. But another laugh rang out behind them.

_Oh no…_ Matthias stood behind them, with Lukas' hand clutched in his. Cassidy frowned. "I wasn't trying to be funny…"

"He just laughed because he's an idiot," Lukas replied.

"Hey!" Cassidy said, indignant. "Gilbert isn't an idiot!"

"I was talking about Matthias." Lukas returned evenly. "I did not mean to imply anything about your father."

"Aw, come on Norge, don't be like that!" Matthias said, throwing an arm around the smaller man's shoulders. Lukas did not look happy. The loud man grinned at Cassidy. "I'm Denmark, by the way. And this is Norway. Or Matthias and Lukas."

Cassidy leaned into Gilbert, unsure quite what was going on. Lukas seemed nice enough, and Matthias sure was friendly, but he was very loud. His hair looked funny, too, sticking up in every direction. Apparently, some of the other nations thought he shouldn't be near her. Another man, blonde and much smaller than Matthias, approached them and put a hand on Matthias' shoulder.

"Denmark, Sweden wanted to see you…" He looked slightly nervous. Matthias glanced over his head, and laughed.

"He doesn't look like he wants to see me. What, don't trust me by little kids?"

The man shifted uncomfortably, and Lukas seemed to take pity on him. He ducked out of Matthias' embrace, and grabbed his wrist, pulling him away. "Danmark, come on."

Matthias went easily enough, and it was apparent that Lukas had him whipped. The blonde man still standing there smiled. "I'm sorry about him. He's a bit…ignorant. I'm Finland, by the way, but you can call me Tino."

Cassidy, who had watched all of this with wide eyes, smiled tentatively. Were all the Nordics strange like that? Tino seemed normal enough, anyway. "Nice to meet you."

A low voice called over to them. "W'fe, Ah n'd y'u."

Tino sighed. "I have to go. Berwald is probably already fed up with Matthias." He hurried over to where Matthias was bugging a tall, blonde man who was wearing glasses.

Ivan, who had never left through all that, sighed. "They really should get that one under control, _da?_"

Gilbert looked unsure, and a bit wary of Ivan. "Ah…yeah. Why did you stay? You already introduced yourself."

"I never answered her question." He looked at Cassidy. "Sometimes I do." Then he abruptly walked off.

"Gilbert?" Cassidy asked quietly. He jumped slightly.

"_J-ja?_ What is it?"

"Are you scared of him?"

He paused, then sighed. "Well…it's not so much that I'm scared, just…I don't want him near you."

She considered asking why, but he seemed eager to change the subject. So, instead she asked, "Are all the Nordics like that?"

"Like Denmark, you mean?" He laughed. "Nah, he's the worst. I don't think any of them are normal, though, except Finland. He's cool. Denmark is, too, you just need to get used to him."

"Oh." She changed the subject again. "Do I really look like Alfred?"

"A lot." He grinned, then stood, still holding her. "Come on, let's find Liz. I think she brought lunch for you."

They found the Hungarian woman speaking with Roderich, acting nothing like she usually did (actually ladylike). When she saw her husband and daughter approaching, though, she smiled. She stood to briefly kiss Gilbert, and Cassidy saw Roderich look away in disgust.

"Hey, Liz, didn't you say you brought some snacks or something for Cassidy?"

"Oh, yes, of course!" She hurried over to where she'd left her purse and one other bag. She grabbed that other bag and returned to Gilbert, handing it to him. "There should be plenty for both of you in there."

"_Danke._" He kissed her again, and returned to his seat, eagerly opening the bag. Inside, Elizabeta had packed bags of fruit snacks, some juice bags, a couple sandwiches, and cups of applesauce. He laughed. "Heh, looks like she thinks I'm still in kindergarten, too."

Cassidy giggled and grabbed a bag of fruit snacks. While she ate them, she added the words _"Die Katze_" to her drawing. Gilbert smiled and touched the paper.

"That's a nice picture," he told her. She returned his smile.

"Thanks. I practice –"

Ludwig's voice, calling the other nations back to the meeting, cut her off. As they reluctantly turned their attention back to business, Cassidy turned to a fresh page so she could continue drawing. She did not get far, though, when Arthur and Alfred started bickering. As Gilbert watched, Francis joined in, and Feli and Lovino, and Toni, and Ivan, and Ludwig began yelling uselessly to try and stop the fighting. In his lap, Cassidy trembled slightly, and if nobody had been yelling he would have heard the tiny whimper that escaped her. He did feel her tremble, though, and rubbed her arm comfortingly.

Further down the table, Matthias, who had been watching the girl curiously (because he'd never imagined his drinking buddy would make a good father), saw the first tears that ran down her face. Gilbert couldn't see them, because her back was to him, so Matthias stood and managed to yell above everyone else.

"_Everyone shut up!"_ Miraculously, there was enough of a lull for him to continue. "The kid's crying."

Now that everyone was quiet, they clearly heard the mewls and whimpers coming from the girl in Gilbert's lap. Gilbert pulled her tighter against him, and she turned to bury her face in his neck. America and England, who had really started the fight, stared guiltily at the table. Germany sighed.

"I suppose we should end the meeting now," he muttered. "Everyone, go home."

Elizabeta rushed over and scooped Cassidy out of her husband's lap, cradling her and rocking gently. "Shh, it's okay, honey, it's okay…"

Gilbert shot Matthias a grateful glance before turning his attention back to his daughter. Cassidy sniffled and tucked her head into the spot where Elizabeta's neck met her shoulder. His wife pressed her lips together and glanced at him. "Gil, why don't you get our things together? I've got her."

He nodded and went to do that; he'd never been very good at the whole comforting thing. After he'd gotten his and Cassidy's papers and whatnot, he went to get Elizabeta's. As he did, he happened to glance back at them, and saw Tino standing by Liz and holding Cassidy, who was tightly gripping his shirt. He and Liz were chatting softly. Gilbert smiled and glanced at the other Nordics, who were gathered in a group by the door, obviously waiting for Tino. Matthias, usually the impatient one, was amusing himself by teasing Lukas, who wanted nothing to do with him. Lukas' brother, Emil, stood apart from the group with his arms crossed. Berwald stood motionless with a blonde boy in a sailor uniform attached to his leg. Gilbert vaguely remembered his name was Peter.

Realizing he'd been spacing out, he shook his head and quickly grabbed Elizabeta's bag and returned to his little family. Cassidy had calmed down by this point, and was timidly asking Tino questions. He just caught the tail end of one as he approached.

"…go on raids with the Vikings?" Tino seemed surprised at first, but then smiled.

"No, they never let me. I stayed behind with Emil – er, Iceland."

"Oh." Cassidy seemed slightly disappointed. Tino seemed to take pity on her.

"You know, if you want to know more about them, you can ask Matthias. I'm sure he'd love to tell you. He's run out of people to tell all his wild stories to." He caught sight of Gilbert. "Hey, Prussia, you have Matthias' number, right?"

Cassidy twisted around to look at him expectantly. Gilbert nodded and reached out to take his daughter from the Finnish man. "Yeah, me and him go out drinking sometimes. Maybe one time when he comes over you can ask him."

The little girl let out a tiny giggle and put her head on his shoulder. Elizabeta thanked Tino, and they both left. Behind them, Matthias loudly taunted Tino about being a mother.

. .

Well…that's that, I suppose. This chapter was kind of a flop, but whatever. Next chapter will have actual plot! *gasp*. Anyway, review and tell me what you think! And if some of the character names or whatever confuse you, let me know and I will clear it up!


	6. Chapter 6

Yep…absolutely no excuse why this is so late. None at all. I'm sorry. I just haven't had the ambition, and if I force out a chapter, the quality will be crap. Not that it hasn't been already…Seriously. I read over the story so far, and I am ashamed. Some of you seem to like it, though, so I guess I'll leave it up.

And yes, this chapter is short, but I did that for a reason. It was moving too quickly for my taste, so I tried to slow it down a bit. Sorry if that annoys anybody, but I don't want to rush this and have it end up like crap.

Since I am tired of writing this, I will say this is for the entire story now. I do not own Hetalia.

…

"_If you try to fail, and succeed, which have you done?" _

_-George Carlin_

…

The only noise in the car on the way back home was the faint music playing on the radio. Cassidy had fallen asleep, and neither Gilbert nor Elizabeta felt the need for conversation. They were relieved that the situation at the meeting had been resolved fairly quickly, but hadn't lingered much longer afterwards anyway.

It was dark by the time they got home. Gilbert carefully extracted their daughter from the car while Elizabeta got her bags. They left their papers there, deeming them unimportant at the moment.

Being the soldier he once was, Gilbert immediately noticed signs that someone had been tampering with their door, but it didn't seem like they'd gotten anywhere with it. Despite that, he was still slightly wary when he stepped inside, and let his wife take Cassidy as he inspected the entryway and the few adjacent rooms. Nothing had been disturbed, so he allowed himself to relax. Liz carried Cassidy to her room and put her to bed before joining Gilbert in theirs, letting out a tired sigh. Gilbert offered her a sympathetic half-smile from where he sat on the bed.

"Tough day, huh?" She just huffed and shook her head, padding over to him and sitting on his lap. His arms automatically went around her, and the tension slowly drained from both of them. He let himself tip backwards, and was about to fall asleep like that when the sound of breaking glass startled both of them. Elizabeta moved out of the way as Gilbert sat up, his eyes narrowing suspiciously.

He slowly got up and moved towards the half-open door, careful not to make any noise. Looking out into the dim hallway, nothing seemed out of place, but the sound had come from further away. He faintly heard Elizabeta following him, most likely with her frying pan, but ignored her for now, instead heading in the direction he thought he heard the glass break.

Elizabeta was the first one to realize the direction they were headed in was leading them to Cassidy's bedroom. She gasped and pushed past Gilbert, hurrying to check if she was alright.

The bedroom door was shut tight, as she'd left it, but that did nothing to quell her sudden anxiety. With a trembling hand she grasped the doorknob and turned it, slowly pushing the door open. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding in a quick huff. And suddenly Gilbert was there, surveying the room that had once held their new daughter, but was now empty. Moonlight glinted off the broken glass of the window, and in her panic, it seemed to be laughing at her for thinking it was a suitable barrier against anything that may harm Cassidy.

…

…please don't kill me. *hides under a rock*.


End file.
